Warriors say Year 2 in offensive system will be even better

Updated 8:29 pm, Saturday, October 3, 2015

The theme of the Warriors’ training camp was “getting to the next level,” and the proof that the players had advanced to the next peak might have revealed itself during a scrimmage Thursday.

Knowing that they might be setting the stage for a sloppy session, the Warriors’ coaches didn’t call offensive sets and wouldn’t let the players do it, either. The players were allowed only to read and react to the defense and feed off the continuity they had built during the first year in head coach Steve Kerr’s offensive system.

Surprise.

“We just know how to play together,” center Andrew Bogut said Saturday after training camp closed. “It was beautiful. We were moving the ball well, it was at a quick pace, and we did a good job.”

It’s going to be difficult to improve on last season’s offensive numbers. The Warriors ranked first or second in 12 key categories, including nabbing the top spot in points per game (110.0), field-goal percentage (47.8), three-point percentage (39.8) and assists per game (27.4).

But they believe that was only the beginning. In their second season under Kerr, the Warriors expect to make a colossal jump — similar to what Atlanta did last season in its second go-around with head coach Mike Budenholzer.

The Hawks’ offensive philosophies are similar to those of the Warriors, and last year, Atlanta leaped from 15th to sixth in offensive rating, from 13th to fourth in field-goal percentage, from 13th to second in three-point percentage and from seventh to third in assist-to-turnover ratio.

“You tend to forget that part of our story: Going into the playoffs and the Finals was still in our first year” in the system, point guard Stephen Curry said. “…As players, we felt like we could go out and really learn on the fly and still play well, even though it was the first year and we were still getting used to it. But (Kerr) always was telling us that second and third years are when you really take off.

“If we did what we did last year, and we’re still learning about the system and how we’re going to go out and play it, I like our chances going into this year, too.”

Kerr’s offense, predicated on spacing and ball movement, endured lulls during the Warriors’ magical 2014-15 season, but Curry or Klay Thompson usually found ways to bail out their teammates.

The next level of the offense is cutting down turnovers, using better fundamentals on screens and cuts and grasping an understanding and patience that allows the ball to move to a play’s fourth or fifth option.

“Once you have the continuity in what you’re running, then you can pay more attention to how you’re running it,” Kerr said.

According to early polling, it’s going just as the Warriors’ coaches planned. Interim head coach Luke Walton has been “thrilled” with the way the players have built off last season’s foundation, and player development consultant Steve Nash praised the Warriors’ connectivity in reading defenses and reacting.

“They have the skill level to do it and the depth to do it in waves,” Nash said. “You’re going to see the team evolve even more.”

Small forward Harrison Barnes said: “As crazy as it sounds, we’re just starting to get the hang of it and get the rhythm of it. Another year in that system, I think everyone, from top to bottom, can improve.

“I think we can finally add those different layers that Coach Kerr always talks about, add those nuances that make the Spurs look like they’ve been playing together for a lifetime.”